A cherished 119-year-old shop in the heart of Ann Arbor, Michigan, has closed permanently, its shelves stripped bare, in a stark symbol of the pressures facing independent retailers across the United States.
The End of a Community Hub
Downtown Home & Garden held its final day of customer sales on December 24, owner Kelly Vore confirmed. The store, which for over a century supplied locals with Christmas trees, kitchenware, plants, and more, is now little more than an empty shell. Only storage fixtures remain where bustling community events like pickle-making contests and holiday parties once took place.
"It's just purely remnants," Vore told the Daily Mail, comparing the final stage to the frustrating last days of a house move. "In spirit, we could not be matched. You can buy this stuff anywhere else. But small shops are places people come to to have things in common and leave hot topics at the door. Now, there's just one less place to do that."
Soaring Costs Force Closure
The decisive blow, Vore explained, was a crippling rise in overheads. While customer numbers had returned to pre-pandemic levels, expenses for insurance, wages, and taxes had skyrocketed. The final straw was a 26 percent rent increase imposed by her landlord.
"Our formula was always snug — we were never rolling in abundant cash, and everything is much more expensive than when I took over," said Vore, who ran the business for 11 years. "If our landlord can do better than me, he should. We're just getting out of the way."
The strain was exacerbated during the 2020 pandemic lockdowns, when the shop was forced to close despite selling essential items like seeds and soil, while some larger competitors remained open.
Part of a Record Wave of US Closures
The demise of Downtown Home & Garden is far from an isolated case. It forms part of a devastating trend sweeping small towns and cities. According to data from Coresight Research shared with the Daily Mail, 8,234 US stores have shut permanently so far this year.
This figure marks a grim new annual record, representing a 12 percent increase from last year's previous high of 7,325 closures. While major chain bankruptcies like Rite Aid and Party City contributed significantly, small businesses selling home goods and apparel have been among the hardest hit.
Recent months have seen other long-standing independents fall, including the 103-year-old Sherman's Sports and Army Store and the 90-year-old Frentz & Sons Hardware.
The closure in Ann Arbor has sparked an outpouring of grief. More than 400 former customers flooded the shop's Facebook page with heartfelt messages. One wrote: "I'll be the gardener with the tears in my eyes." Vore also recounted consoling weeping customers in the store's final weeks.
The shop employed 10 people, all of whom had worked there for over a year. Reflecting on the end, Vore stated, "The desire to be in this kind of business is still very high, but there are numerous reasons that made us close. Nobody is giving up without a fight."
